I have to admit, a few hours before the tutoring appointment, I started to get nervous. I had never tutored before, not even my friends in school, and wasn't 100% sure that I'd be good at it. Yes, I read the book, got some of my training, but that first face-to-face tutoring session had me quaking. Add to that the fact that I was going to eventually be asking this new tutee (I'll call him Greg) for a tutoring evaluation, and you can see why I was shaking in my boots.
So, I did what I always have done when I get nervous. I spent some free time preparing. When I'm prepared, I feel more confident, and the nervousness starts to go away. It also serves to get my mind off of the nervousness, because I'm keeping my mind active.
So, I sat at my desk, and started coming up with the ultimate tutoring package. Greg and I were going to be working on algebra, so I spent some time putting together a few study sheets, mini-quizzes, formula sheets, exercises, etc. By the time 2 o'clock rolled around, I headed out to meet my tutee, study materials in hand.
When Greg and I finally sat down to get to work, I remembered the proper seating arrangement, made sure he had a few sharpened pencils at his side for the worksheets, and we got to talking for a few minutes.
Instantly, my nervousness disappeared as Greg and I got to know each other a little better. We talked about his classes, major, my new career as a tutor, etc. It may have only been about 10 minutes, but it was enough to break the ice and give the whole tutoring session a friendly, upbeat tone. It was great!
By the time the tutoring session was over, we had worked through about half of the study materials I brought, Greg mentioned how excited he was to finally "understand this stuff," and we were scheduling in a tutoring session for next week.
As I left the Greg's house, and was driving home, it suddenly hit me that somewhere along the way my nervousness had turned to excitement. I was so thrilled to be doing what I am doing, and I can't imagine a better job than being a tutor. One of the most positive experiences of my year.
So, my advice to all you new tutors out there? Just take the plunge, and be prepared for the tutoring. Put together materials that will help your tutee study, get there a little early for the tutoring session, and don't be afraid to be yourself. If someone as shy as me can do it, so can you!
~ Mike, a new tutor in Buena Park, CA
1 comment:
Congratulations Mike, on your first tutoring session! It seems like you prepared well for this tutorial, and re-awakened your love of working with kids!
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